Edmonton Oilers

Pacific · Western Conference

Wins

Losses

OTL

Points

1st

Pacific

Team Snapshot

🔍

Key Insight

Edmonton leads the Pacific despite a structural contradiction: the league's best power play (30.7%, 1st) masks the 27th-ranked 5v5 defence allowing 3.35 goals per game. With 3 games remaining and a 1-point division lead, special teams excellence has compensated for defensive fragility all season, but upcoming matchups against LAK, COL, and VAN will test whether elite power play execution can continue offsetting a porous penalty kill (23rd) and bottom-tier even-strength defence in elimination-level fixtures.

Strengths

League-leading 30.7% power play (66 goals on 215 opportunities) is the primary driver of playoff positioning, converting at a rate that has directly created the narrow goal differential keeping Edmonton atop the Pacific despite bottom-10 defensive metrics.

Second-period dominance (98 goals for vs 88 against, +10 frame differential) shows the team controls mid-game momentum when power play opportunities peak and opponents have not yet adjusted, allowing Edmonton to build leads before third-period defensive collapses threaten them.

Balanced home/road performance (21–14–4 vs 19–15–6) indicates the team does not rely on venue advantage to generate points, critical for a division leader facing road fixtures in the final stretch where many contenders falter away from home ice.

Risks

27th-ranked goals against (3.35 per game) is the season-defining weakness: bottom-tier 5v5 defence has cost more points than the power play has created, forcing the team into a high-variance playoff race where a single cold offensive night results in a loss regardless of opponent quality.

23rd-ranked penalty kill (77.2%, 49 goals against) directly undermines special teams advantage—every power play goal for is partially offset by penalty kill goals against, compressing the net goal differential to +10 and making every upcoming game a coin flip if discipline lapses.

Third-period collapses (91 goals against, worst frame) reveal structural inability to protect leads, with late-game defensive breakdowns erasing earlier offensive production and forcing overtime losses (10 OTL) that have cost critical standings points in a tight division race.

Tristan Jarry's .882 save percentage is replacement-level goaltending that has prevented the elite offence from translating into a comfortable playoff position—facing LAK, COL, and VAN with bottom-tier stopping means one poor start eliminates any margin for error in the division race.

Core Analytics

Core Performance

Offence

Scoring 3.48 goals per game (7th) is driven almost entirely by special teams dominance: 66 power play goals on 215 opportunities represents elite conversion that directly accounts for the +10 goal differential. Second-period production (98 goals, highest of any frame) suggests mid-game adjustments and power play opportunities cluster effectively when games are still competitive, creating separation before defensive vulnerabilities emerge late.

3.48Avg 3.08

5th in NHL

Defence

Allowing 3.35 goals per game (27th) reflects systematic defensive failure at even strength, with third-period collapses (91 goals against, worst frame) indicating late-game structure breakdowns that erase leads. The 23rd-ranked penalty kill (77.2%) compounds the issue: 49 goals against on 215 opportunities means special teams create a net advantage offensively but leak goals defensively, resulting in a razor-thin +10 goal differential despite elite offensive output.

3.35Avg 3.08

26th in NHL

Special Teams

Power Play

Elite power play — a genuine game-changer. Opponents cannot afford to take penalties.

30.7%

1st in NHL

66 of 215 PP chances converted

Penalty Kill

23rd-ranked PK is a vulnerability opponents will exploit — especially those with elite power play units.

77.2%

23rd in NHL

Killed 166 of 215 penalties

Period-by-Period Danger

Most dangerous: 2nd

Goals scoredGoals conceded

1st

2nd

3rd

Most vulnerable: 3rd period

Oilers attack hardest in the 2nd but face the most defensive pressure in the 3rd — tactical adjustments mid-game may be a factor.

Goaltending

Tristan Jarry

Starting Goaltender · #

0.882

SV%

3.32

GAA

Tristan Jarry's .882 save percentage and 3.32 GAA represent bottom-tier goaltending that actively costs points in a division race. With 18 wins across 79 team games, inconsistent starts and sub-replacement-level stopping have forced the offence to outscore defensive breakdowns rather than rely on goaltending to stabilize close games—a non-viable playoff strategy.

NHL regular season only — stats update as games are indexed